


Outings (or a Lack of One)

by TakingOverMidnight3482



Category: No Good Nick (TV)
Genre: Gen, Heart to Hearts, Sibling Bonding, part two spoilers, post part two, this fandom needed more fic so here you go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-18 20:10:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20197468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakingOverMidnight3482/pseuds/TakingOverMidnight3482
Summary: Jeremy shut the door and then eased down next to her, elbows on his knees and hands pressed together. For a long minute, he didn’t speak, merely stared at the floor. Nick’s knee bounced once. She forced it to stop.“Thank you.”Nick was at a loss. “I’m sorry?”~~Aka, sibling bonding and fluff ensue, I want lasagna, and this fandom is drastically low on fanfiction.





	Outings (or a Lack of One)

**Author's Note:**

> I've rewatched the coming out scenes in Part Two....so many goddamn times. This fic came out of my fear that Nick's revenge on Jeremy would be to out him (and thank GOD they didn't go that route. God bless)

“You have a minute?”

Nick looked up from where she was just setting the last shirt in her dresser drawer to find Jeremy standing in her doorway, shifting from foot to foot.

Despite the warm greeting she’d gotten on Friday night when the Thompson’s had taken her back, Jeremy had been quiet around her for the last few days. It didn’t surprise Nick; she’d expected it from the whole family, especially him. She was amazed that they’d wanted her back to begin with. Seeing them show up at the bus station to take her home again…it had been everything.

“Yeah, yeah I’ve got a sec,” Nick managed, shutting her drawer and standing up. She gestured weakly to the bed, offering what she hoped was a reassuring smile, and then sat stiffly on the comforter.

Jeremy shut the door and then eased down next to her, elbows on his knees and hands pressed together. For a long minute, he didn’t speak, merely stared at the floor. Nick’s knee bounced once. She forced it to stop.

“Thank you.”

Nick was at a loss. “I’m sorry?”

Jeremy’s lips curved up in a wry smile, though his gaze stayed on the floor. “I needed to say thank you. For a couple things – getting me back in school, though it was your fault I was expelled in the first place, so I guess I really shouldn’t be thanking you for that, but you didn’t have to-”

“Jeremy.”

He snorted, head ducking a little. “Right. Right, uh…”

His fingers curled together and he twisted, drawing his knee up onto the bed and facing Nick. When he looked up, his eyes were glinting. “Thank you…for not outing me.”

For one small moment, it felt like the world screeched to a halt. Nick could do nothing more than open her mouth, lift a finger, close her mouth again, and then scoff. “Are you kidding me?”

Jeremy blinked; obviously not the answer he’d expected. “Well I…I was thinking about all the ways you could have gotten revenge, and I realized that-”

“No, no, no,” Nick slashed her hands through the air, shaking her head. Jeremy’s mouth clamped shut and she settled both hands on his knees. She stared up at him, pouring as much sincerity as she could into her words. “I would never, _ever, _have even _considered _doing that. Never.”

Jeremy’s throat bobbed and his eyes grew glassy. “Well, yeah, but you could have.”

She tightened her grip and shut her eyes. “Do you know…I was in foster care for a while. That part of my story wasn’t a lie. Do you know how many kids there are gay or…or trans, or lesbian? Or any part of the rainbow? And they’re all so kind and scared of not being loved for who they are, and some of them are even younger than me and I…I could never – I _would _never do anything that could make your life dangerous to live. And I’m so sorry you thought I would.”

Nick opened her eyes again to find Jeremy openly staring at her. She was crying, she realized. She didn’t know when she had started. Her throat ached when she spoke again. “I will always support you. I will never purposefully do anything that would out you when you’re not ready. I promise.”

Jeremy’s smile was broken, a little wobbly, and he took a breath. “That means…a lot to me. And I…I came out. To Mom and Dad and Molly. And I think Eric and I are going to work. I do.”

She squeezed her hands again. “I’m proud of you,” she whispered. Her voice broke a little and Jeremy edged closer, spreading his arms.

Nick sank into his grip, tight and reassuring, felt the weight of his kiss as it dropped to her scalp, and she trembled. “I’m sorry,” she whispered into his chest. “I really…I really liked being your friend. And I’m sorry I ruined it.”

Jeremy shook his head. “No. No, you didn’t.”

He drew back, squeezing her shoulders and searching her face. “I was…I was mad,” he admitted, because they hadn’t really talked about it. “And then I got kind of gloaty. Because I was right about you being suspicious.”

Nick managed a watery laugh and swiped at her cheeks. “Jerk.”

He smiled. “But then when I…when I thought about what we did, and what you must have gone through by yourself all those months without your dad, when I realized that you didn’t betray me and when you…you fixed everything, Nick,” Jeremy said, shaking his head in quiet awe. “As best you could. And I saw how you acted with Molly, with Mom and Dad, and even…even with me. And I couldn’t be mad at you anymore.”

“You’re not?” Nick whispered. Her hands were limp in her lap, and Jeremy reached out and squeezed them.

“No. Don’t get me wrong, I will always rag on you for conning us-”

“I deserve that,” she chuckled, looking away.

“-but if I’m being honest with you,” Jeremy said, slow, eyes back to the floor, “and honest with myself…I’ve thought of you as a sister for a while. I’ve trusted you for a while. And I’m sorry I didn’t to begin with. Even though I was totally right.”

He said the last part with a grin, a mischievous smirk, but his gaze was anxious. Nick nodded and laughed at the same time, hugging him again.

“You two are missing cooking night, Mom is ready to teach us how to make las- is everything okay?”

Nick and Jeremy separated to look at Molly, who was looking between them in concern. She took in their teary eyes and smiled, soft. “I’ll tell Mom to hold off for a sec.”

Molly backed out of the doorway and her footsteps echoed down the stairs. Jeremy wiped at his eyes and stood, offering the crook of his arm and an open smile. His eyebrows lifted. “Join me for lasagna night?”

Nick laughed and dragged a flannel-clad palm over her cheeks one more time. “I was practically born making lasagna. You’re screwed.” She hooked his elbow with hers.

“Oh, it’s on.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments would be lovely. Here's hoping this fandom grows enough to get us a Part Three!


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